ABC

Quinta Brunson hypes season 5's Christmas episode of 'Abbott Elementary' as "a game changer"

By Sophia Soto | Last updated Aug 27, 2025 12:26 PM ET

Abbott Elementary star and creator Quinta Brunson is sharing what fans can expect from the upcoming holiday episodes of season 5, and it seems like we're in for a real treat.

"We'll be doing a Halloween and Christmas episode again this season. This Halloween episode is really fun because we're out of the school with this one," she told Entertainment Weekly. "It's a joy to have an episode out of the school for the audience, and seeing what Halloween is going to look like now. For the Christmas episode, we are celebrating more than one thing on Christmas. Our Christmas episode is going to be a game changer. A lot's gonna change after this Christmas episode."

Along with Brunson as Janine Teagues, the series also stars Tyler James Williams as Gregory Eddie, Janelle James as Ava Coleman, Chris Perfetti as Jacob Hill, Lisa Ann Walter as Melissa Schemmenti, William Stanford Davis as Mr. Johnson, and Sheryl Lee Ralph as Barbara Howard.

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Additionally, Brunson confirmed at San Diego Comic-Con that they would be filming at a live event, saying, "I do think that Philly sports fans will be very happy. Sports fans in general."

Luckily, we won't have to wait too long to find out what she was teasing as she revealed that it's an "earlier episode," adding, "It's either our third or our fourth, so you'll see that pretty soon."

In this workplace comedy, a group of dedicated, passionate teachers — and a slightly tone-deaf principal — are brought together in a Philadelphia public school where, despite the odds stacked against them, they are determined to help their students succeed in life. Though these incredible educators may be outnumbered and underfunded, they love what they do — even if they don’t love the school district’s less-than-stellar attitude toward educating children.

Abbott Elementary returns to our TVs on Wednesday, October 1, at 8:30 PM ET/PT.

Sophia Soto

Sophia Soto is a writer and interviewer with a passion for all things entertainment. She is a Senior Reporter at The Nerds of Color and contributes to Yardbarker, Screensphere, Den of Geek, What to Watch, Nerdtropolis, and Temple of Geek. You can see her past work on Remezcla, Young Hollywood, Looper, Paste Magazine, Primetimer, Soundsphere, and Starry Constellation Magazine

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